Chapter 41: 42-The Hunt

Rowan did not know the reason why, but when he felt pain pierced his back, he instinctively ducked.

That split second decision saved his life.

A large shadow flew by, chomping at where his head once was. While his life was intact. Rowan could not avoid earing three large bloody gashes formed by claws on his back. He looked at the being responsible for the assault.

It was a familiar foe, a being that he saw several times before he was stuck in the forest. One that he never got a chance to fight until now.

A wolf.

Memories flashed in his mind. The first time he saw a wolf from the Forest of Death was when one was fleeing from Dolly the sheep. The second time was when the huge pack of wolves that was fleeing from the dragon’s wrath. Both times he was lucky as he didn’t need to face them. He had people besides him who could combat the threat. Not to mention the second time there wasn’t even a fight with the fleeing wolves.

Now it was different as the wolf in front of Rowan was aiming for him and he was very much alone.

The wolf, on the other hand, wasn't.

One, two, three,... Rowan counted five wolves in total in his mind.

He had been so engrossed in observing the mysterious tree that he hadn’t realized that this pack of wolves had snuck up on him. Each one was as large as a horse and they were slowly closing in on him. Their fur was brown as if to match the trees and hide amongst the forest. Good for them as it made it easier to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. On the other hand, it was bad news for the prey.

This time the prey was Rowan himself.

What should he do? Rowan's mind raced as he tried to think of a solution. In front of him was a pack of wolves that wanted him for lunch, behind him was the strange tree. He eyed the wolves as they moved closer to him with each step.  

Thankfully his arrow was still in his bow, just waiting to be released. Unfortunately there was only one arrow ready to be let loose. The second Rowan released it, it would leave him vulnerable to the other four wolves. His mind couldn’t think of a good way out of this crisis so he decided to take a gamble.

Rowan took a step backwards while still facing the wolves and moved closer to the tree.

Why did he move towards the tree that could be a potential threat to his life?

The keyword was potential. The tree hadn’t moved until Rowan climbed it so Rowan was betting on the fact that it wouldn’t move until it was disturbed. It was also better to have something solid behind his back so that the wolves would be unable to encircle and surround him. That would truly be the end of Rowan if the wolves surrounded him.

Compared to the very real threat of the wolves, the boy would take a chance with the strange tree.

The wolves seeing Rowan slowly retreating moved in even closer. Rowan could tell the wolves were wary of the weapon in his hand, showcasing that it had experienced and knew what the bow did. It did not need to understand how it worked, but it just needed to be cautious of the weapon. It knew though, that the human could only let the object fly once before it and its packmates rushed in for the kill.

The question for both sides was who would be the first to suffer?

Grrrrrr.

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The foremost wolf released a growl and that was the signal. All the wolves charged up at once and ran at Rowan. The boy immediately jumped backwards and shot an arrow at the nearest wolf.

The projectile hit its target successfully as the wolf released a painful whimper. The arrow hadn’t killed the wolf, but it did its job in slowing down one of the enemies as it hit the wolf’s shoulder. That wolf would no longer be a threat. Just like Rowan wanted.

One down, four to go. 

The situation wasn’t much better for Rowan as that was the only thing Rowan could do before a wolf jumped at him. The boy ducked to avoid the claws which tore through the trunk of the tree. He drew another arrow and moved around the tree, using it as a makeshift shield between him and the wolves.

 Rowan drew the string of his bow and released an arrow at an incoming wolf. 

The time the wolf dodge the arrow by jumping to the side. Just as Rowan braced himself for impact, something came swinging down and pierced through the wolf.

This caused the remaining wolves to halt with a look of bewilderment. 

Rowan would have laughed at how big the heir eyes were if his life wasn’t in danger. He looked at what saved him and realized it was the tree.

More specifically, the tree branch.

Somehow the tree branch had penetrated through the skin of one of the wolves and went right through it.

Seeing the new threat, the remaining wolves growled menacingly and went into a hunting position that was prepared to strike at the new opponent.

With the wolves occupied, Rowan decided now was a good chance to run. He immediately began to sprint back towards the camp. This may be his first and last chance to get out of this dangerous situation. Seeing their original target running away, the remaining wolves gave chase. Apparently Rowan would be the easier prey and less of a threat when compared to the tree.

Did he close the barrier before he left? Rowan couldn't remember if he did as he was too excited about leaving. He hoped he didn't even though he should have done so that nothing could sneak in. Now if the barrier had closed, then that meant contending with three wolves while trying to open the wall of thorns. Rowan wasn’t confident he could do both at the same time.

Fortunately Rowan hadn’t gone too far as the barrier quickly came into view. Thank the gods for his forgetfulness, the opening in the wall of thorn was still there. As he drew closer with the wolves hot on his heels, he connected his mana right away and gave it the equivalent of a shout in a mental command.

CLOSE!

Rowan had not made it past the barrier before it started to obey. The wall of thorns fully closed just as the wolves were about to jump through. With a surprise yip, Rowan could hear the wolves halting in front of the barrier. Followed by howls of frustration before slinking away in search of new prey.

Rowan fell on the floor and finally released a breath of relief. 

For his first outing, that had been too close for Rowan’s taste.

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